Chapter: 437
Arthur’s party, having accepted the bet with Lucy, began their dungeon strategy and realized that traversing the dungeon was eerily easy.
The monsters within the dungeon posed no challenge at all, the process of finding the path was absurdly simple, and the traps aimed at taking their lives were obvious to the point of making them hahaha.
So much so that they even pondered if there were any traps at all while moving through the dungeon.
“There’s no way Lucy Allen would lead us to such an easy dungeon.”
“You’re right. There must be something.”
“We can’t let our guard down.”
Arthur and Joy, heightening their vigilance to the extreme, carefully advanced while considering every possible variable. Yet, as they reached the end of the dungeon, the feared event did not occur.
Guarding the end of the dungeon was a golem imbued with ancient runes.
The golem, which held the wisdom of the mythical age, had aged over the years but still retained the majority of its abilities. Its strength was undoubtedly beyond what any student could handle.
Unfortunately for the golem, Arthur’s party had already surpassed the level of mere students.
The magically treated armor was easily sliced before Frey’s aura, the various spells the golem possessed were instantly analyzed and neutralized by Joy, and even the curse within the golem, which could be considered a trump card, was purified by Phoebe. The golem fell without being able to pose even the slightest threat.
With the dungeon cleared, a door to the outside appeared, but Arthur’s party remained suspicious.
“Is that door a trap?”
“Quite possibly.”
“Well, it doesn’t feel ominous.”
“Hey. We’ve collected all the rewards. Isn’t it over?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Frey Kent, our opponent is Lucy Allen!”
Having defeated the boss, and having gained better control over their magic by overcoming the golem with the wisdom of myth, Arthur’s party sharpened their gazes because their standard was set by Lucy Allen.
No matter how difficult a dungeon was, Lucy could clear it as casually as a stroll in the park; it couldn’t possibly be this easy!
Harboring such thoughts in their hearts, they were convinced that something more was hidden and began rummaging through the boss room.
The party’s suspicions were something Lucy, who sent them into the dungeon, couldn’t have imagined.
This was because she was unaware of how much Arthur’s party had grown.
To Lucy, who couldn’t escape the standards of stagnant water, Arthur’s party still seemed like cute newbies, making it impossible for her to notice their changes.
If this dungeon were an ordinary one, even if confusion and misjudgments mingled, Arthur’s party would have only wasted their time, with nothing happening at all.
The problem was that this was not an ordinary dungeon.
The dungeon introduced by Lucy was a place where the followers of the Evil God had connected their home to create a dungeon, and thus a hidden path leading to the forest existed within.
“Haha! Here it is! Of course, it can’t be the end!”
“Wow, you really hid it well. I almost couldn’t find it.”
“…Huh?”
Phoebe, detecting an ominous energy within the path, blinked rapidly and tried to warn her friends. But by then, it was already too late.
Those who had been heated with excitement from finding the path stepped inside first.
“…I’ll be giving you a lecture all day later.”
Deciding to ensure they spent 24 hours under the word of God, Phoebe sighed and followed them.
The place that Arthur’s party reached after crossing the path was a fog-laden forest.
This ominous and sinister atmosphere was the kind of place that would make anyone instinctively recoil.
The first to arrive in that mist, Frey, frowned and surrounded her entire body with aura.
“This is a strange place. It’s different from the dungeons I’ve passed through before.”
“It’s hard to tell which direction is right, and it’s difficult to know where the monsters here are.”
“…Should I wait for now?”
Suppressing the urge to leap out based on instinct, she stood on her toes and waited for her friends to arrive.
But something felt off.
“They should’ve followed right after me, but why is it taking so long?”
“Is something wrong?”
Something…
Puzzled, Frey trusted her instincts and wielded her sword.
The sound of her aura-encased sword clashing against another sword resonated with a clang.
The outline of a person vaguely visible through the fog radiated an ominous energy.
“An opponent…?”
For some reason, Frey couldn’t be certain that the adversary attacking her was truly an enemy.
Her instincts were blocking her from wielding her sword with full force.
Clang!
The moment their swords clashed again, Frey noticed the opponent hesitating just like herself.
“Why…?” That thought arose, and she realized that the sword strike she’d just seen resembled someone she knew.
“Prince.”
Clang!
Looking at the opponent’s breathing, they were trying to speak.
But their voice couldn’t be heard.
“What could be blocking it?”
The most annoying thing must be this fog.
“Hmm… should I try to clear it?”
Taking advantage of the impact from the opponent’s sword, Frey swiftly retreated and infused her aura into her sword with a deep breath.
The Kent family’s sword resembled the wind.
Free, fast, sharp, and graceful.
So, if she wished, the Kent sword could become the wind itself.
Recalling a sword that her father had once shown her, she imitated it on the spot.
She had never learned it, never requested guidance, and had only etched it into her memory once. Yet, Frey’s talent vividly reflected that hazy recollection into reality.
Frey’s sword transformed into wind and drew the mist upward, revealing the face of the swordsman hidden beneath the fog.
A slightly sharp-mannered man. Someone she thought was fun to toy with when Lucy wasn’t around.
“Prince.”
“Stop for a moment. We haven’t confirmed if we are truly ourselves.”
“…Isn’t it real? There’s nothing strange.”
“I made one mistake before, so I can’t repeat it. For now, let’s verify what we know about each other.”
As Arthur furrowed his brow, pondering how to distinguish between them, warm light suddenly spilled forth from beyond the fog, pushing the mist away and turning the dark forest into daylight.
Emerging from the light were Phoebe, who looked oddly rigid with a grin, and Joy, who was cautiously observing Phoebe.
“Prince.”
“…Yes?”
“Please look forward to when we step outside the dungeon.”
“Prince, congratulations! The Saintess has specially.”
“Young Lady Kent, it’s the same for you.”
“…Yes.”
The proverb that states it’s terrifying when someone who usually doesn’t get angry gets angry holds true even in this situation.
Not only Arthur but even Frey shrank under Phoebe’s warning.
Seeing that, Phoebe let out a small sigh and turned her gaze away from her friends to observe the surroundings.
“This area is undoubtedly related to the Evil God.”
Thinking about how it felt similar to when they faced the followers with the Young Lady last time, it seemed to be a place where the Followers of the Void lingered.
“This is a big problem.”
“Although we are strong for our age, after all, we’re still students. It’s hard to be sure just how far we can go against the followers of the Evil God.”
“…In a way, this is my fault.”
“If I had detected the Evil God’s energy sooner and dissuaded my friends, we wouldn’t have come here in the first place.”
“I was entrusted with my friends by the Young Lady, and yet I’ve made such a mistake.”
Feeling pathetic and gnawing at her lips, Phoebe suddenly sensed a familiar energy approaching from afar and hurriedly raised her head.
Seeing the thick, dense fog clearing, she let out a sigh of relief.
“Thank goodness. It’s the Young Lady. If she’s here, we can surely navigate this crisis well.”
This sense of relief was echoed by the others.
All of them noticed Lucy approaching from a distance and began to gradually ease their tension.
Seeing that, Phoebe involuntarily smiled bitterly.
“The difference between having one person here and not is so vast.”
Is this what the power of the great Lord Jushin’s Apostle feels like?
*
At the end of the direction indicated by the grandpa, the friends were waiting.
Those who had been sheltered in the divine light that Phoebe opened shared that they had traversed the dungeon I had pointed out and ended up here.
Upon hearing their story, I felt my head throbbing.
“No way. That dungeon is quite a challenging place. And you cleared it so easily?”
“You found a hidden path while shouting, ‘Lucy wouldn’t lead us to a dungeon like this!’ and ended up here?!”
Every story shared by my friends far exceeded my expectations.
There was no hidden path in that dungeon!
I didn’t even know that a dungeon could connect to another location!
What kind of variable is this!
As I silently screamed inside, I recalled the fact that the outside dungeon was connected to this one, and realized one thing.
This means we are included in the Authority of Agra.
Crap.
Forget about that later.
For now, I need to focus solely on clearing the dungeon.
After escaping a place Agra could interfere with, it wouldn’t be too late to think things through.
The current power my friends possessed seemed better than I had expected, so defeating the boss should be smooth sailing.
It’s fine.
There’s no problem.
As long as we handle things before Agra tries to meddle.
– Ding!
Ah, crap.
[Agra is watching you.]
We’re in deep trouble.
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